Free Foxtel on Virgin

[Andrew M]

Qantas is not a benchmark that other airlines should follow......

[Micheil Keegan]

If airlines are heading towards Wifi and a BYO device solution, what happens when the BYO device goes flat? Re-charge for a small fee?

Micheil

[Morris Biondi]

We are already seeing business or premium economy seats around the world being fitted with power points for charging and using BYO devices, not sure what will happen in economy though.

[Zac M]

Pretty sure the new Qantas 737s have in seat power in Y, if they don't the A332s do for sure. The newer JQ A332s (EBQ, R and S) do as well, I am sure that the interiors in them are the same (except leather) as the newer domestic QF A332s.

[JamesL]

Yes, I flew on VZW and they have the same set up like the VA B77W's

[J Brown]

...not to mention the weight penalty of fixed IFE systems.

[Morris Biondi]

Well i guess if all seats have in seat power all they have to is encourage people to bring and use their devices, get rid of IFEs and maybe rent out USB sticks with movies and other entertainment on them, i realise it's far fetched but in today's world of technological wonder it could be done, it's light weight and easy to implement.

[Rob R]

The system Virgin is going with will enable any wifi device to log onto the aircraft system and allow the passenger to select movies, TV shows, games etc. The aircraft system will be able to store thousands of content.

[Thomas Collins]

The solution Virgin are evaluating, many other airlines are evaluating, including Qantas and Jetstar.

Lufthansa has been trialling the system for a while, which is basically a server based Wifi distribution to download paid content - so the user with their BYO device, can purchase content as they see fit | desire.

The obvious benefit is that this system works with multiple platforms and media.

Typically today, consumers have either a laptop, tablet or media device of some sort capable of video or audio content in multiple formats.

The airlines then only need to carry a small inventory of tablets to support any additional consumer demand outside of their BYO option.

Doing away with the in-seat solution delivers significant benefits to the airlines as already mentioned e.g. weight, infrastructure, maintenance and advancements in technology, superseding IFE faster than airlines can install them.

Expect more and more airlines to move down the cabin stream solution in the coming years as the technology proves itself...

[Blair E]

I'm suprised more airlines/seat manufacturers haven't explored the option of mounting an iPad within the headrest. As in, wired in and fixed.